Astrid aiming to busk her way to LA dream
FROM Southport to LA, a 10-year-old jazz singer from Southport is on a mission to busk her way on to the Ellen show.
Astrid Smith, a pupil at St Mark’s Primary school in Scarisbrick, performs all over the North West, mainly at charity events, and is the UK’s youngest jazz and blues singer.
She rose to prominence after beating more than 10,000 other youngsters at auditions to appear on The Voice Kids, where she was chosen by judge Will.I.Am to progress to the second round.
Ellen DeGeneres is Astrid’s idol and it is her dream to perform on her show.
Last year, she almost made it when her mum, Amanda Smith, was contacted by Ellen’s producers after a video of her singing Radiohead’s Creep went viral on social media in June.
Unfortunately, they were later contacted and told they could not fit Astrid in the schedule. Amanda, 49, a tutor from Southport, said: “Ellen is her idol and she desperately wants to meet her. She started watching the
Ellen show at the age of five.
“Astrid told me ‘I love the way Ellen has on ordinary children who just have an amazing talent and she shows it to the world, whether it’s their knowledge of science or they are a brilliant singer, she gives them a chance to show their talent. She is just a really caring person.’”
“She was so sad when they cancelled as it’s her dream to go on the show and sing.”’
Astrid first busked in Liverpool city centre on Saturday, January 18 with many passers-by recording the performances on their phones.
She then busked the day after at Anfield singing Si Señor with fans singing along.
She and her mum made a donation to the Hillsborough Survivors’ Support Alliance as a thank you for all the Liverpool fans’ support.
Astrid has made thousands of pounds for charities with her singing and is a youth ambassador for the Stem Cell Scousers charity.
Last year, she won Fundraiser of the Year at Sefton Council’s Shining Stars Awards 2019.
Amanda said: “It is Astrid’s dream to see LA and as she has helped so many charities for the past two years. We decided that this year we would make Astrid’s dream come true as well as all her charity work.
“The support on Twitter is amazing with over 500 tweets being made by Astrid’s followers sharing her video of her singing in Liverpool and tagging the Ellen Show and its executive producer, Ed Glavin.
“She even has celebrities wishing her luck, including David Easter from Hollyoaks, India Willoughby, and wonderful videos of support from charities she’s worked with along with her fans.
“The campaign is to try and show the show how much Astrid’s singing is loved and how determined she is.”
Astrid is due to appear at the Jazz Festival in the Clifton Hotel in Southport on February 8.
To see the video that got the Ellen Show’s attention, visit www.youtube. com/watch?v=gA-XjnMayhA or visit Twitter and Facebook @astridsings jazz.